The men and women who would drive Poulengy’s mailed fist down the throat of Idaho were at the gym conducting what the Army referred to as a POM, short for preparation for overseas movement. While it was true that they were not going overseas, all the items necessary for such deployments were just as necessary now. Dog tags, ID cards, pay options, shots, dental records, and other administrative personnel actions that the soldiers would be unable to tend to while in the field needed to be checked and taken care of before they left Fort Carson. Among the items that were being verified were the addresses and phone numbers of next of kin and, of course, the correctness of all options made by the soldier on his or her Serviceman’s Group Life Insurance policy.

When Scott and General Poulengy arrived, Second Brigade’s 3rd Battalion, 68th Armor was going through the process. The commander of this unit, a normally unflappable lieutenant colonel, was beside himself as to what to do. The division commander’s aide had simply informed the brigade’s executive officer that both the CG and the Chief of Staff of the Army would be at the gym in five minutes. While the sudden and unexpected appearance of the division commander was something every commander on Fort Carson had grown to live with, the idea of having the Chief of Staff of the Army “casually” drop in and mingle with the troops was enough to age any CO five years.

The entourage that the commander of 3rd of the 68th Armor met at the door was small and quite solemn. Dixon didn’t waste time on social pleasantries. “Colonel,” the tight-lipped division commander ordered, “assemble your men. I need to address them.”

The battalion commander and his company commanders immediately scattered through the gym barking orders like sheepdogs gathering their flock. Scott, followed by Poulengy, found a place where he could be seen and heard by the troops when they assembled. Quickly, five mass formations began to take shape as soldiers automatically sought the guide who marked where the front rank of their company was anchored. When formed, the battalion commander, with his principal staff officers behind him, stepped out in front and presented himself. “Sir, 3rd Battalion, 68th Armor is formed.”